In the past, a cigarette packing machine was assigned packets of cigarettes of one given brand, which was produced, unchanged, for a long period of time. In recent times, however, attempts have been made to introduce a so-called “just in time” production policy, whereby the brand of the packets of cigarettes produced on a given cigarette packing machine is changed frequently to adapt in real time to market demand and so prevent storage.
On a cigarette packing machine, a brand change involves clearing the packing line of the packing machine completely of the packets of cigarettes currently being produced; shutting down the packing machine; and removing any leftover packing materials from the packing machine. At this point, the necessary settings on the packing machine are made (and, possibly, any assemblies incompatible with the new brand are changed); the new packing materials are fed onto the machine; and the packing machine is started up again to commence production of the new brand of packets of cigarettes.
Experience has shown that, when commencing production of a new brand of packets of cigarettes, manual checking is required of a given number of first items (e.g. the first two hundred packets of cigarettes produced) to detect any errors in feeding on the new packing material and/or in removing the old packing materials. And only then can production of the new brand of packets of cigarettes continue at full speed for supply to the marketing network. Manual checking of this sort, however, involves considerable cost, by requiring the assistance of one or more operators, and shutdown in production of the new brand throughout.
US2002095912A1 discloses a process for producing cigarette packs. The procedure for carrying out a product changeover is such that the entire production and packaging installation is largely emptied; in the region of a film packer and of a following multipacker, subassemblies for producing web connections are controlled such that a last cigarette pack of the old configuration is assigned to a last cigarette multipack and this is then separated out.
US6308492B1 discloses a process and an apparatus for producing packs, in particular cigarette packs; a change in the type of pack makes it necessary for the operators carefully to provide the correct packaging material assigned to the new type of pack. In practice, this change of material often takes place incorrectly; the invention avoid errors when the type of pack is changed in that markings, which are assigned to packaging material of different designs and are provided on the packaging material and/or the carrier thereof, in particular on a core of the reel, and/or the pack, are used to identify the packaging material and to check it for correct assignment in relation to the type of pack which is to be produced.